


Brighter Than Polaris

by Just_Here_For_The_Ships



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Argentina National Team, Childhood Memories, Finally, Hopefully my instructor does not watch anime, Iwaizumi is in love, Japanese National Team, M/M, Oikawa Tooru Likes Outer Space, Oikawa Wins Y'all, POV First Person, Stars, The North Star, Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics, i wrote this for an english assignment, polaris - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-12 22:27:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29267979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Just_Here_For_The_Ships/pseuds/Just_Here_For_The_Ships
Summary: Iwaizumi knew Oikawa loved the stars. Little did Oikawa know that he was Iwaizumi's favorite star all along.
Relationships: Iwaizumi Hajime & Oikawa Tooru, Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru, Oikawa Tooru & Ushijima Wakatoshi (Mentioned)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 19





	Brighter Than Polaris

**Author's Note:**

> This is a self-indulgent drabble of some Iwaoi headcanons I have! A little history of the boys up until the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Enjoy!

You were always entranced with the stars. I followed you up the hill behind our neighborhood every night for our entire childhood just so you could watch the cosmos above us. Sometimes I would even drag your homemade alien communication device so you could yell into the midnight void even with no reply. We spent so much time at the top of that hill, stars scintillating and our breaths mingling in the chilled night air. In the winter we had to bundle up in four layers just to stay warm, and even then we sometimes had to huddle close together to fight off the bite of the chilled night air. Those were the moments I lived for, your back to my chest, my arms wrapped around you as you babbled on about the universe and its secrets.

We stopped going up there nightly in our final year of middle school. We were both busy with preparations for high school and you were barely holding together as I watched you succumb to peer pressure and stress. I was so worried that you would fade from view, that suddenly you would no longer need me. I wanted to move forward with you, watch your back, and ensure you would be alright. All I wanted was to go back to those nights we used to have without worry, just you and I and the stars.

We made it through our first two years of high school together, give or take a few setbacks. You overworked your knee to the point of physical therapy, and I scolded you for it, even though we both knew you knew better, that you knew what you were doing to your own body. I hated it, the fact that you worked so hard to the point of breaking, that you put yourself through so much pain because you felt you deserved it. I wanted to take that away from you, I wanted to tell you that you deserve to be loved, that you were worth everything to me. I wanted to take you back up to the top of that hill and listen to you name every star and see you smile again as you found the North Star, Polaris, used for navigation. It was your favorite when you were little because it shone so bright and remained in a fixed position nearly all year. You told me stories of how it led people home, back to their families when they were lost. I decided that you were Polaris incarnate, always leading people with a shining smile on your face.

Our final year of high school, you told me where you planned to go next. I knew you had big dreams, but hearing that you would move out of the country nearly broke me. I hoped one day that you would come back home to me, you _would_ come back to me one day. You had to. I just had to believe. So after our last day of high school, I pulled you back up that hill to watch the stars for the last time for a while. You were so confused when I snuck through your window the way I used to when we were kids. I pulled you outside, the summer air warm enough for us to go in just our pajamas. You told me again the names of each star and constellation, and I told you what you meant to me.

Your face was frozen in a look of shock, but your eyes told me everything I had needed to know. I pulled you close again, and we sat like that in silence for a long time, enjoying the stars together. When you left, I sent you texts, pictures, called you, and we stayed connected. I sent voicemails and you told me about your days. I found him, that rival you disliked so much, and I taunted you with a selfie of the two of us. We were together, even if far apart.

Now here we are, so many years later. I’m a physical therapist and an athletic trainer, but it’s not for you like I always believed it would be. You’re on the opposite team. I can see you standing on the court, that infuriatingly bright smile still shining like the stars. I can see the way your face lights up when you set, a perfect arc soaring through the sky, allowing the ball to be slammed down on to the opposite side of the court. The crowd roars, blinding lights lighting up the stadium as the flashes of cameras click and shutter behind us. I can see your old rivals grinding their teeth, and while I’m proud of you, I cannot wait to see our team crush you. Another serves starts the game back up, your jump serve as powerful as ever. The sound of the ball making contact with your open palm, the deafening sounds of the crowd, the skid of shoes against the floor, grunts of receives and the calls of teammates asking for sets, this was our paradise. I can see it now, the overwhelming concentration that overtook you so often in high school, once your biggest flaw and a double edged sword, now sculpted and tailored so you can wield it with deadly accuracy.

A set passes, and though I wish for our team to crush you, I can’t help getting lost in your rhythm and the look on your face. I can tell that after years of searching, you’ve found happiness. Serve, one-touch, receive, set, spike, read-block, receive again, bump set, time-lag attack, the rally goes on and on, each step harder to take than the last, and yet so much more exhilarating. I’m wearing their colors, but we both know that I’m really rooting for you in secret. Your eyes dart towards the side on that final serve, locking with mine for just a brief moment. Even with that second of contact, I know this next one is for me. The serve toss goes up gorgeously, and your footsteps thump across the floor. I watch you jump, your back arching perfectly enough to bring enough force to blast the ball across the court, but not enough to injure or tweak anything. The ball connects with your palm with a bang, and I watch our team sink into further resolve.

It’s received, but it won’t matter anyway. I’ve grown up with you and I know all of your tells. This isn’t a point you’ll give up. I’ve seen this look twice before. Once in middle school, and once in high school. Both times ended in you going to the ends of the world to save the point. I look and see the similar expressions across the entire court, on both teams. This will be a challenge for you, but I know you will overcome it. I brace myself, knowing that our team won’t win, but excited nonetheless for you to crush your old rivals. The toss goes up, quick and direct, perfect for the ace to slam on to the court. It happens in a second, a blink of an eye. And suddenly the crowd is on its feet, drowning out every other sound with screaming. You fought for years to get here, and now you’ve won.

And you’re running.

Not to your teammates, not to your coach, not even to our families. You’re running straight at me.

And suddenly I’m hopping over the barrier that divides me from the court, gathering speed and running to you. I can hear my team groaning and laughing at my actions. Of course, they’ve just lost and I’m running to the opposite team’s setter, they have every right to be bitter. But they know who we are and what we’ve been through together. They know that we’re inseparable.

Finally we reach each other and you’re wrapped tight in my arms. Face in my shoulder and shaking with laughter. I’m smiling with you, chuckles spilling out of my lips. You did it. You beat the odds. Become number one in the world.

I can feel the shake of your body, no longer just laughter, but also sobs of disbelief and joy. I hold you through it, and it feels as though we are the only two people on the court, as if no one is watching. My throat is sore, and I vaguely remember screaming your name across the court when you won. Your arms are around me, clutching me tight as if you never want to let go. And then you’re stepping back a little, lifting your face and looking straight at me. You were always a little taller, but now you seem so small, looking up at me. The look of awe in your eyes reminds me of the nights we spent up on that hill.

You marveled at Polaris, the navigation star. You badgered me to pick a star, a favorite just like you did. I always refused, saying it was stupid to pick a favorite and that stars were just balls of gas floating in outer space. You begged and pleaded for me to tell you, never knowing that I already had a favorite. Like Polaris, it was a star that led people when they were lost, and it led me home. But in my opinion, you shone brighter than Polaris ever could.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey all! Thanks for making it this far! I hope you enjoyed this! I wrote it as an english assignment and kinda got out of control with it ehehe...


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